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Chapter 7Parliament Parliamentary government The UK has a parliamentary form of government, the key features of which are: · the fusing of the executive and legislative branches · the government is chosen as the result of parliamentary elections · government is collective · the legislature can dismiss the executive · there is a separate head of state…read more

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Chapter 7Parliament Key terms · Head of state: the chief public representative of a country, such as a monarch or president · Legislature: the branch of government responsible for passing laws · Parliament: an assembly that has the power to debate and make laws…read more

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Chapter 7Parliament Parliamentary versus presidential Parliamentary government · The executive and legislative branches are fused · Parliament can dismiss the government through a vote of confidence · Power is exercised collectively within the executive branch · The prime minister is the person who can command a majority in the parliament following a general election · The head of the executive is not the head of state…read more

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Chapter 7Parliament Presidential government · There is a clear separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches · The legislature cannot dismiss the president, except in special circumstances, and the executive cannot dissolve the legislature · Power in the executive is concentrated in the office of president · The president is directly elected by the people · The president is also head of state…read more

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Chapter 7Parliament The Westminster model · The traditional way of understanding the British political system, which both describes it and claims that it is the ideal · The key features are: -- parliamentary sovereignty -- an uncodified constitution -- cabinet government -- first-past-the-post electoral system -- a two-party system -- a unitary state…read more

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Comments

This very clear overview of the UK parliamentary system is likely to be useful to students looking to be reminded of its advantages and disadvantages. In order to address assessment objective 2, (evaluation and analysis) however, students might wish to read around case studies that exemplify issues such as the way the parties operate within the Commons, various impacts of large government majorities on the working and behaviour of the House of Commons, and the failure to complete proposed reforms of the Lords.